Bells Bush, Anna Eykyn and I have just walked 75 miles around the Isle of Wight over five days to raise funds for The Edward Bush Charitable Trust.

The Trust was set up in memory of Ed (Bear), who was tragically killed in a road accident on 4th June 2021. Ed was a dear friend to our family and passionate about joining the Army, so his family created the Trust to support serving members of the armed forces and their families. Its current focus is helping Veterans Coastal Retreats buy their first property, a place by the sea where veterans and their loved ones can rest, recover and rebuild.

We set off from Brook in West Wight in glorious sunshine, walking past Tennyson’s Monument and the Needles before finishing in Yarmouth. The next two days took us on to Cowes and then Bembridge, with plenty of pitstops for food, drinks and sea views. A highlight was visiting two rescued brown bears at the Wildheart Sanctuary - our favourite diversion and a lovely moment seeing bears for Bear. We even braved a quick dip in a beautiful cove!

The weather turned on day four, with wind, rain and repeated diversions from the coastal path due to cliff erosion making it the toughest stage. Still, we eventually reached St Catherine’s Lighthouse. By day five, Storm Amy had arrived, bringing 50mph winds and we spent most of the final leg fighting to stay upright all the way back to Brook where we were rewarded with a celebratory bottle of fizz!

It was a really special few days, full of chatting, laughing and remembering Ed as we went. Any donation, however small, would mean a lot and help the Trust continue his legacy.

With love and thanks,

Laura xx